How to prune a Chinese elm bonsai? Detailed methods and techniques

Livestock Farming Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Chinese elm bonsai has become increasingly popular in recent years. Because Chinese elm bonsai not only has ornamental value but can also help purify the air and reflect a refined taste in life, people of all ages have started growing Chinese elm bonsai. The editor will now introduce the production methods of Chinese elm bonsai.

Chinese elm bonsai

Most Chinese elm stumps are dug up from the wild. You can choose ones with good shape and growth according to your own preferences; they can be tall and low, staggered and layered, which helps determine the later styling, since most bonsai today are grown as ornamental pieces. In addition, Chinese elm can also be propagated by grafting and cuttings, with a high survival rate and easy rooting.

The best time to transplant bonsai is spring or autumn. Before transplanting, the roots and leaves of the Chinese elm need a preliminary pruning, which helps the roots develop quickly. For the care of Chinese elm bonsai, the Chinese elm likes sunlight but is also very cold-resistant. It can be placed outdoors with good air circulation and plenty of sunlight, and the pot soil also needs to be kept moist. You can appropriately spray water onto the soil, but generally do not spray water on the leaves, for fear that the leaves will grow too large and affect the overall shape of the Chinese elm bonsai. If watered directly, water will accumulate in the bonsai, which is not good for the root growth of the Chinese elm. Bonsai generally choose the spring equinox period in spring to repot and loosen the soil, and repotting about once every three years is suitable. As for fertilizing, apply once each year during the growing season. To prevent pests, you can also spray some pesticide. In winter, it is the most suitable time for pruning the Chinese elm, because in winter all the leaves have fallen, leaving only the clearly visible branches. For a Chinese elm that needs pruning, you can prune according to the growth of the main trunk and branches plus the overall shape you want to achieve. Usually you can first prune away the excess branches that interfere with the tree's shape, and also prune poorly growing branches, dead branches, diseased branches and so on.

How to grow Chinese elm bonsai? Production methods of Chinese elm bonsai

Image: Small Chinese elm bonsai

[Common Questions] How to grow Chinese elm bonsai? Production methods of Chinese elm bonsai

[Expert Answer]

How to grow Chinese elm bonsai?

1. Strengthen light exposure.It likes sunlight by nature and is slightly shade-tolerant, so it should be placed in a sunny place. If there is insufficient sunlight, it will produce leggy branches, the leaf color will be poor, and it will also be prone to pests.

2. Keep the pot soil moist but not waterlogged.The Chinese elm likes to grow in moist places, but it is also afraid of waterlogging. Therefore, when spraying water, water thoroughly, and in midsummer water once in the morning and once in the evening. If water accumulates in the pot, drain it as soon as possible.

3. Fertilize appropriately.Use peanut cake fermented into liquid fertilizer, or crush peanut cake into thumb-sized pieces and bury them in the soil, and also use some compound flower fertilizer as appropriate. Fertilizing should be done once in early spring and once in early autumn, and it should not be applied too much.

4. Prune and shape in time.The Chinese elm has extremely strong sprouting ability, and the three groups also grow quickly. If not pruned, the stump bonsai will lose its ornamental value. Pruning and shaping can be done in autumn. First cut off useless branches and diseased branches, then trim the branches according to the formed shape or the posture after forming.

5. The Chinese elm often suffers from aphids and scale insects.It can be sprayed with omethoate diluted 1000 times with water. Chinese elm stumps are not only used for bonsai viewing, but can also serve as decorative trees in courtyards, forming a scene by themselves with excellent effect. However, when transplanting large tree stumps, they must be accompanied by native soil, and this must be done before leaf sprouting in winter and spring. After planting, wrap the trunk with a mixture of rice straw and yellow mud water, and water frequently to keep the soil and rice straw moist.

Production of Chinese elm bonsai:

1. Seedling source

Chinese elm stumps are mostly dug up from the wild. Wild tree stumps have strange and changeable postures, winding and twisting, ancient and lovely, form quickly, and have high ornamental value.

2. Potting

The best time for potting and planting is February to March in spring, and it can also be done in autumn. Before planting, the root system and branches and leaves need to be pruned once. To prevent excessive loss of Chinese elm sap, which can cause wounds to rot and death, you can apply a medical eye drop or sulfonamide ointment to the wound, then plant it in plain sandy soil on the ground or in a clay pot to heal. After the stump has healed, it should be placed in a fine pot. Use loose and fertile garden soil or leaf mold, which is beneficial to root development. For the bonsai pot, it is best to use a purple clay ceramic pot or a glazed ceramic pot, mainly rectangular and oval in shape, and the pot color should preferably be plain. (This sentence has been split into two sentences for clarity.)

3. Styling and pruning

For the styling of Chinese elm, pruning should be the main method, combining pruning and wiring. According to the basic form of the old stump, various styles can be made, such as straight trunk style, curved trunk style, slanting trunk style, lying trunk style or cliff style. Because its root system is well developed, it can also be made into raised-root style or root-on-rock style bonsai. The branches of the Chinese elm are soft and can be wired into many styles of bonsai. The branches and leaves of the Chinese elm tolerate pruning, so they can be cut into cloud-cluster style, or cut into any shape desired according to the creator's intention.

[Editor's Comments] The Chinese elm has relatively strong sprouting ability during the growing season. To keep the bonsai beautiful, it must be pruned regularly. The editor of First Agricultural Economics above introduced to you the production methods of Chinese elm bonsai and the key care points of the bonsai. Friends who grow Chinese elm bonsai can learn more about it. In addition, remember to repot once every 2-3 years so the bonsai can grow vigorously!

Cultivation methods of Chinese elm bonsai and care of Chinese elm bonsai

Chinese elm, especially old Chinese elm stumps growing in the wild, have gone through many years of human chopping and carving, or wind erosion and rain, animal gnawing, and so on, gradually forming many different strange postures. Some have twisted roots and gnarled branches, vigorous and ancient; some turn decay into wonder, with dead roots and new leaves, offering a unique scene. They are excellent material for making bonsai. Here we offer our humble views on the production and care management of Chinese elm bonsai, for reference only.

First, stump selection must be strict. Try to choose small and medium-sized stumps to facilitate balcony cultivation; the stump material must be fresh, and those that are withered and rotten or have no fibrous roots should not be used. Newly dug old Chinese elm stumps should be planted in plain sandy soil or placed in clay pots to "nurse the stump," generally best done from late autumn to early spring (the survival rate is highest in the two or three months before sprouting). Before planting, the root system and branches and trunk must first be pruned as necessary. Adhesive sap often flows from the cut (sap bleeding). If too much liquid seeps out, it will seriously affect the survival rate. The biggest shortcoming of all elm species is that they bleed sap easily. If the stump material cannot effectively overcome this shortcoming before and after planting, then it is very difficult to ensure the survival of the stump material. For this, you can use paint or wax to seal the cut, or apply a layer of erythromycin ointment or sulfonamide ointment, then sprinkle fine sandy soil on it. After the cut is properly treated, do not pot it immediately; place it in a cool place to dry in the shade for a few hours, letting the wound naturally lose water and form a protective film. This can greatly reduce the occurrence of sap bleeding after the stump is potted. The Chinese elm likes dryness and fears wetness. After planting, compact the soil, and it is not necessary to water; just spray clear water on the branches and trunk 1-2 times a day, then water thoroughly once after 3-4 days. After that, do not water unless dry, and absolutely do not allow water accumulation.

Second, when styling Chinese elm bonsai, according to the basic form of the old stump, use wiring, pruning and other means to make bonsai in different forms such as straight trunk style, curved trunk style, slanting trunk style, waterside style, cliff style, wind-blown style, forest style, and root-on-rock style. Styling can be done either during the dormant period after leaf fall or during the growing season, but the sprouting period must be avoided.

After the Chinese elm bonsai has taken shape, plant it in a purple clay pot before spring budding, and be sure to choose loose, breathable, well-drained sandy soil rich in humus. It is best to use yellow sand : pine needle soil : loess = 4:3:3. This soil is both breathable and water-retentive, and will not become waterlogged. Usually place it in a well-ventilated, sunny place for care, and it is best to keep the pot soil on the dry side. During high temperature and dry summer, you can sprinkle water on the ground around the plant, but it is not suitable to spray water directly on the leaf surface, so as to avoid the leaves becoming larger and losing their beauty. After a new stump survives, do not rush to fertilize. This is an important reason why many people fail in nursing stump material. Fertilizing should be done after autumn, and applying fully fermented dilute liquid fertilizer is best.

The Chinese elm has very strong sprouting ability and grows relatively quickly. During the growing season, prune frequently, cutting off overly long and messy branches to maintain the beauty of the tree shape. The best viewing period for Chinese elm bonsai is when new leaves have just emerged. If all the leaves are removed in early to mid-August, and then fertilizer and water management is strengthened, new leaves will grow again by late September, improving the ornamental value. In winter, move it to a bright and cool indoor place, or bury the whole pot in soil outdoors in a wind-sheltered, sunny place, reduce watering, and let the plant fully enter dormancy. During care, repot once every 2-3 years to keep the bonsai growing vigorously and full of life.

Chinese elm (Langya elm)

The Chinese elm (Langya elm) has a beautiful tree shape, an elegant posture, mottled bark, and fine dense branches and leaves. It is very suitable for solitary planting or group planting in courtyards, or for arranging with pavilions and rockery. It can also be selected as a greening tree species for factory and mining areas. The wood of the Chinese elm is hard and can be used for industrial timber; the stem bark fiber is strong and can be made into ropes and artificial fibers; the roots, bark, and tender leaves used as medicine have the effects of reducing swelling and relieving pain, detoxifying and treating heat, and external application treats scalds and burns from water and fire; the leaves can be made into a crude pesticide that can kill red spiders.

Morphological characteristics

Deciduous tree, or in winter the leaves turn yellow or red and persist until falling after the new leaves open the following year, up to 25 m tall, DBH up to 1 m; crown broadly rounded, trunk base sometimes with buttress roots, bark gray or gray-brown, splitting into irregular scaly thin flakes and peeling off, revealing red-brown inner bark, nearly smooth, slightly uneven; current-year branches densely covered with short soft hairs, dark brown; winter buds ovoid, red-brown, hairless. Leaves thick in texture, lanceolate-ovate or narrowly elliptic, rarely ovate or obovate, the two sides of the midvein unequal in length and width, 1.7-8 (often 2.5-5) cm long, 0.8-3 (often 1-2) cm wide, apex acute or obtuse, base oblique, cuneate or rounded on one side, leaf surface dark green, glossy, except for sparse soft hairs in the depressed midvein, the rest hairless, lateral veins depressed, leaf underside lighter in color, short soft-hairy when young, later becoming hairless or sparsely hairy along the veins, or with tufts of hairs in the vein axils, margin from base to apex with obtuse and regular simple serrations, rarely double serrations (such as on the leaves of sprouting branches), lateral veins 10-15 on each side, fine veins obvious on both surfaces, petiole 2-6 mm long, hairy only on the upper side. Flowers open in autumn, in 3-6 fascicles in the leaf axils or arranged in clustered cymes, perianth cup-shaped above and tubular below, perianth segments 4, deeply parted to the base or nearly the base of the cup-shaped perianth, pedicel extremely short, sparsely hairy. Samara elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 10-13 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, except for hairs on the stigma surface at the apical notch, the rest hairless, samara wing slightly thick, stalk at the base about 2 mm long, wings on both sides narrower than the seed body, seed body located in the upper-middle part of the samara, upper end close to the notch, perianth segments deciduous or persistent, fruit stalk shorter than the tubular perianth, 1-3 mm long, sparsely short-hairy. Flowering and fruiting period August to October.

Growth habits

Grows on plains, hills, mountain slopes and valleys. Sun-loving, drought-tolerant, can grow on acidic, neutral and alkaline soils, but the most suitable habitat is a warm climate with fertile, well-drained neutral soil.

Geographical distribution

Distributed in Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Henan and other provinces and regions. Also distributed in Japan and Korea.

Cultivation management

Bonsai production

(1) Material collection and propagation measures

Artificial propagation: Chinese elm (Langya elm) is usually propagated by sowing. Seeds mature from October to November, the samara wings turn yellow-brown, and they should be collected in time, spread out to dry in the sun, winnowed to remove debris, and stored dry in bags. Sow in March of the following spring, either by broadcasting or drilling. For drilling, the row spacing is 25 cm. Choose a windless sunny day for sowing, cover with fine soil until the seeds are no longer visible, then cover with rice straw. After about 30 days, they will germinate and emerge, and the straw should be removed in time, with appropriate thinning. During the growing period, manage water and fertilizer well, weed and loosen the soil, and the current-year seedlings can reach 30-40 cm tall. Young saplings have thin trunks and sparse branches, and the leaf shape is relatively large, so they are generally not suitable for making bonsai. It is better to cultivate them for several years, then prune and shape them, and only then pot them. In addition, Chinese elm (Langya elm) can also be propagated by root cuttings, which is faster for cultivating stump bonsai material and is widely used in South China.

Collection from mountains and wilds: Chinese elm (Langya elm) grows in many places in the mountains and by the waterside in Jiangnan, and is even more common in limestone mountainous areas. You can select old tree stumps that have sprouted repeatedly after many years of cutting, especially elm stumps growing on barren slopes, poor land, beside ditches, or in rock crevices in the wild. Those that develop slowly, are long-lived, have been processed by natural wind and waves, with exposed roots and thick trunks, strong and winding, branches slanting, small leaves, and an old, ancient, unadorned posture are the best. Dig before spring sprouting, cut off unnecessary roots and branches, protect the secondary roots and fibrous roots, coat with mud slurry, and wrap with wet moss. After digging back, choose a place with good ventilation and light and loose, moist soil for deep burying and cultivation, called "nursing the embryo." Wait until the root system develops and the new branches and leaves are luxuriant, then pot it and shape it. Using old stumps as bonsai material can shorten the bonsai processing time, and the form is also natural and ancient, different from ordinary specimens, and easy to survive.

For Chinese elm (Langya elm), wild old tree stumps collected for cultivation generally take at least 2-3 years to take shape. Here is a rapid cultivation method, especially suitable for the growth of bonsai. For Chinese elm stumps dug back in early spring, first plant them in clay pots to cultivate. After they survive, pay attention to removing unnecessary buds at any time. Start shaping from late April to early May. When the branches grow to 15-18 cm long, use fine metal wire for wiring and shaping, and pay attention to care management. When new branches sprout and grow 4-6 leaves, pruning can be carried out. Generally, only two leaves are kept on each small branch, and then a nitrogen fertilizer is applied immediately to promote new buds on the new branches. Repeat pruning and fertilizing many times in this way to make the leaves grow dense as quickly as possible. As the branches continue to thicken, the metal wire must be removed in time to prevent "wire bite." For branches that have not yet been finalized, they can be wired again to fix their form. In this way, by September a Chinese elm (Langya elm) stump bonsai can initially be formed.

The key to this rapid shaping method is mainly to perform wiring when the xylem of the branches has not yet hardened, so special care must be taken during production, and the thickness of the metal wire must also be chosen appropriately. When winding, it does not need to be too tight, to prevent bruising the tender branches. In addition, the work of "nursing the embryo" must also be done well to achieve the goal of potting and making a bonsai within one year of digging the stump.

(2) Potting process

Pot selection: Chinese elm (Langya elm) stump bonsai generally should use glazed ceramic pots, and purple clay ceramic pots can also be used. Pot shapes are diverse and determined according to the tree shape, with rectangular pots being the most common. Plain and elegant colors are preferable.

Soil: It has no strict requirements for soil and has strong adaptability. For pot cultivation, loose and fertile garden soil or leaf mold is suitable. Good air permeability and water permeability are beneficial to root development and growth and help keep the old stump's branches luxuriant.

Planting: Usually plant from February to March in spring before sprouting, and it can also be done in autumn. When planting, prune the roots appropriately, cut off overly long roots, and they can be appropriately raised. The Chinese elm (Langya elm) has a well-developed root system and is suitable for root-on-rock bonsai. Planting on rock is relatively difficult. Generally, choose stone material with relatively deep crevices (soft stone material can be artificially carved into stone crevices). After pruning and arranging the roots, insert them into the stone crevices, and use palm fiber to tie and fix the main thick roots. When rooting, be careful not to bruise the root system as much as possible, and use moss as padding. After rooting, smear wet river soil on the outside of the stone, then wrap it with moss, then plant the roots together with the attached stone into the pot soil, and carefully maintain for 3-4 years. Wait until the roots embedded in the stone crevices fully grow and fill the stone crevices, then the binding can be removed. At this time, the root system and the stone have formed one body, and a Chinese elm (Langya elm) root-on-rock bonsai is basically completed.

(3) Shaping techniques

Processing: Chinese elm (Langya elm) can be shaped by pruning, and can also be processed in combination with wiring. Wiring can use palm fiber or metal wire. Because the branches of Chinese elm (Langya elm) grow quickly, the wiring material should be removed in time to avoid "wire bite" and affect the appearance. For old tree stumps collected from the wild, overly thick main trunks can be carved and reduced to reduce bulk and match the side branches, while also adding ancient interest. The shaping of Chinese elm (Langya elm) is generally best done before spring sprouting or during the plum rain season.

Tree shape: Chinese elm (Langya elm) has strong plasticity and is suitable for processing into many kinds of tree shapes. Common ones include straight trunk style, slanting trunk style, lying trunk style, cliff style, root-on-rock style, combined planting style and so on. The branches and leaves can be wired into pads, or pruned into a natural-form crown. Especially when creating root-on-rock Chinese elm (Langya elm) bonsai, when conceiving the idea you can take a corner of the natural world, and a certain amount of exaggeration is allowed. In order to heighten the charm of a certain part, the tree can be placed above the mountain stone, with the tree as the main subject and the stone as secondary, and not limited by "a zhang for the mountain and a chi for the tree." In Chinese bonsai, the Lingnan school, Su school and Yang school often use Chinese elm (Langya elm) as the main tree species.

Care management

Placement location: Chinese elm (Langya elm) should be placed in a sunny, well-ventilated place. In summer, no shading is needed. In winter, it can be placed outdoors. To prevent the pot soil from freezing dry, the whole pot can be buried in soil. Watering: Chinese elm (Langya elm) likes moisture by nature, so watering should be sufficient. In summer with high temperature and strong light, water once in the morning and once in the evening, but do not let water accumulate in the pot. In autumn, water less. In winter, if the pot is buried in soil, watering is not necessary.

Fertilizing: In winter, apply manure or cake fertilizer once as a base fertilizer. From April to October (except the plum rain season), apply dilute organic fertilizer once every half month to maintain the nutrients needed for normal growth. Fertilizer should mainly be nitrogen and potassium fertilizers.

Pruning: The branches and leaves of Chinese elm (Langya elm) grow quickly. To maintain the bonsai shape, pruning should be carried out frequently. Generally, when new bud branches extend to 5-6 cm, only 2-3 leaves are kept, and the rest are cut off. To control growth, buds and shoot tips can also be removed at any time.

Repotting: Carry out once every 2-3 years. The best time is before spring sprouting, and autumn is also acceptable. When repotting, remove about 1B2 of the old soil, cut off some old roots, and fill with fertile, loose cultivation soil.

Pest control: Chinese elm (Langya elm) has many pests, commonly including elm leaf beetle, scale insects, longhorn beetles, slug moths and bagworms. It can be sprayed with 80% dichlorvos 1500 times dilution for control; for longhorn beetles harming the trunk, use lime-sulfur mixture to plug the insect holes.

Common bonsai disease control

In the production of Chinese elm stump bonsai, there are roughly two common and highly harmful diseases: root rot and witches' broom of branch tips. When root rot is severe, it directly causes the death of the tree stump; witches' broom seriously affects the normal growth of the stump, making it difficult for the branches to transition and take shape for many years, and in severe cases causes the stump to shrink and the branches to lose form and be discarded. Root rot: The symptoms of Chinese elm stump root rot mainly appear during the growing period as leaves turning yellow and falling, branches gradually dying, and buds remaining dormant for a long time or stopping growth midway. When collecting wild Chinese elm stumps, great care must be taken to make the root cross-sections neat, without leaving wounds, to prevent pathogen invasion. The bark layer of Chinese elm stumps is relatively thick and contains a lot of water. Before temporary planting for nursing the stump, the root cross-sections must be properly dried, and a disinfectant solution can be applied to prevent root infection. When temporary planting, do not choose unclean soil containing humus and unfermented substances. The soil should be disinfected. During the stump-nursing period, strictly control water. Do not let the roots remain in an overly moist and long-term soaked state, as this easily promotes the breeding of root rot fungi. When repotting, once black-brown rotten matter is found in the root bark, immediately scrape it clean with a sharp tool until fresh tissue is visible, and apply 25% wettable powder and a 1000-times dilution of carbendazim to the affected area. After the liquid dries in the wind, pot it. At the same time, the necrotic roots should be cut off and burned, and care should be taken not to mix the scraped residues into the pot soil to prevent reinfection. Fertilize only after the wound heals and new roots are produced, so as to enhance disease resistance. Witches' broom: Chinese elm stump witches' broom mainly harms new shoots and leaves, showing symptoms such as clustered new shoots, upright growth, diseased branches spreading leaves early and small, and dense branching. The pathogen of witches' broom overwinters as mycelium on the affected branch tips, and invades and harms when new shoots sprout the following year. When pruning the Chinese elm stump in winter, cut off the clustered branch tips and burn them in a centralized manner. Before buds sprout in early spring, spray 5 degrees Be lime-sulfur mixture, with remarkable effect. Spraying can be done once a week during the growing season, and after five weeks it can eradicate witches' broom. During this period, in addition to avoiding rain, do not spray water on the branches and leaves, and keep the leaf surface dry.

Landscape value

The trunk of Chinese elm (Langya elm) is slightly curved, the bark is mottled and elegant, the small branches droop gracefully, and the leaves turn red in autumn. It is a good ornamental tree and a greening tree species for factories and roadside greening. It is often planted alone to form a scene and is suitable for planting beside ponds and near pavilions, and can also be arranged among rockery, except that it has relatively many pests and diseases. It has strong sprouting ability and is a good material for making bonsai.

The tree shape is beautiful, the posture is elegant, the bark is mottled, and the branches and leaves are fine and dense, with relatively high ornamental value. In courtyards, solitary planting, group planting, or combined planting with pavilions are all very suitable. As a shade tree, street tree or for making bonsai, it has good ornamental effects. Because of its strong resistance, it can also be selected as a greening tree species for factory and mining areas.

Chinese elm

Scientific name: Ulmus pumia Linn.
Family and genus: Ulmaceae, Ulmus.
Deciduous tree, native to the north, the tree can reach several meters tall: bark color grayish, often with scales peeling off, leaves elliptic, margins serrated, dark green, leathery, and glossy. It blooms small flowers in March and April, and the fruit is flat and round with membranous wings, called elm seeds, and can be used as food.
Chinese elm has three types: large-leaf, medium-leaf and small-leaf. Among them, the large-leaf type is not welcomed by bonsai creators because its leaves are large and thin, and the leaf color is also not as good as the medium-leaf and small-leaf types, so it has been eliminated. The medium-leaf type grows faster than the small-leaf type, and the ornamental value of the small-leaf type is higher than that of the medium-leaf type, so both can coexist, each chosen by those who need them.
Chinese elm is the most ideal tree species for shaping Lingnan bonsai, and is one of the five famous trees in Lingnan bonsai: orange jasmine, Japanese bush cherry, Fujian tea, Chinese elm, and orange jasmine. It mainly has the following advantages.
1. Fast growth speed (the fastest-growing among the five famous trees). Whether it is the growth speed of the embryo material or the cultivation using the technique of trunk truncation and branch storage, this tree has a relatively fast speed.
2. Small leaves, beautiful leaf shape, and lovely dark green leaf color, meeting the requirements for making bonsai.
3. Good callus formation and great plasticity. Relatively large wounds can also heal. Using this characteristic, the tree embryo stump can be transformed. If it needs to be reduced, after chopping off a part it can also heal naturally. If it needs to be enlarged, the "hitting" method and the "peeling" method can be used, using its callus proliferation tissue to become rugged and nodular, which has both a vigorous beauty and can give the feeling that the wide trunk part has enlarged.
4. The branches are soft and not easy to break, which is beneficial for shaping and wiring.
5. The root crown is well developed, and by using the callus principle it can be transformed at will to meet the requirements of various tree shapes. It is also very ideal for shaping root-on-rock style.
6. High sprouting rate. Chinese elm is the species with the highest sprouting rate among all tree species. Dormant buds are distributed all over the body. During the budding period before the beginning of spring, buds sprout on any trunk with wounds. It is therefore very convenient to choose and decide the positions of bonsai branches. If a branch needs to grow at a certain position, make a hole there until the xylem is visible, and later buds will sprout there. After it grows into a branch, the wound will heal naturally and will not leave obvious traces.
2. Habits and care
The Chinese elm likes sunlight by nature and is cold-resistant. It needs moist soil but also good drainage, especially when transplanting, to prevent waterlogging and root rot.
The Chinese elm has very strong sprouting ability. During the suitable season (around the beginning of spring), buds will sprout at any wounded position. During unsuitable seasons, the whole plant must be without leaves (all leaves removed) for sprouting to achieve the ideal result. If single-branch pruning is carried out during an unsuitable season (while other branches still retain leaves and grow), it will cause failure to sprout. Therefore, when shaping, when a certain branch has reached the required size, most often the method of early inhibition is used (tying the branches and leaves to limit photosynthesis) to restrict the growth of this branch. Only when all the branches of the whole plant are in proportion are they all cut at once, so that all the branches of the whole plant sprout together, and in this way each branch can grow in a balanced way.
When a certain branch suffers from disease and shrinks, you can also remove all the leaves of the whole tree, which can promote the diseased branch to sprout together with all the branches and solve the disease problem of a single diseased branch.
Digging and transplanting Chinese elm should be carried out each year during the period from Minor Cold to Major Cold. Digging during this period, even if there is relatively great damage to the root system of the Chinese elm, the elm can still survive. The farther away from Major Cold, the lower the survival rate of transplanting and regeneration.
3. Propagation methods
Chinese elm has become a cultivated species in the south. There are two propagation methods. One is the air layering method (commonly known as ring-barking). This method can be carried out throughout the year except during the dormant period. Air layering propagation can produce good shaping branches and trunks, but the stump and root system are not as beautiful as stumps propagated from root cuttings, and it is mostly used as commercial bonsai. The second propagation method is the root cutting method. Take the roots cut during digging
of Chinese elm stumps each year during the period from Minor Cold to Major Cold (regardless of size); cut them into sections about 10 cm long and plant them immediately in fully drained and breathable soil; after watering thoroughly to settle the roots (and covering them in rainy weather), in about a month they will sprout and grow. With routine management, transplant and plant alternately the following year. For Chinese elm propagated from root cuttings, after several years, the stump becomes strong and rugged, with deep cracks and twisted, interlocking roots, and can create works with individual artistic character.
4. Pest and disease control
Common pests of Chinese elm include red spiders, elm oystershell scales, cottony cushion scales and so on. The damage of red spiders to Chinese elm appears as grayish, dry leaves, and under transmitted sunlight the leaves can be seen to be eaten into a network pattern (the bodies are so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye). This causes the affected tree to be unable to sprout and grow for a long time. The damage of elm oystershell scale appears as white filamentous matter covering the branches of the Chinese elm, and the affected branches become thin and dry; if not treated over time, the whole branch will wither (refer to the pest control section for control methods). Next is sunscald. Under strong direct sunlight, the bark of the Chinese elm is easily scorched. Measures should be taken to protect the scorched bark and overcome this disease.
The biggest disease of Chinese elm bonsai is branch dieback. This disease mostly occurs after the Chinese elm has become a bonsai. A perfectly good bonsai, watching its branches wither one by one until it no longer forms a scene, if not overcome in time, causes great loss.
1. The main cause of branch dieback in Chinese elm (the same as for Acacia confusa) is: the Chinese elm is a tree, grows quickly in the ground, and has a very developed root system. After it is transplanted into a pot (especially a shallow bonsai pot after becoming a bonsai), the pot contains little soil, and the root system quickly fills the entire pot and becomes entangled with itself into a "root nest." This "root nest" is tight, water can hardly penetrate into it, and the water poured merely overflows on the soil surface, causing water deficiency and fertilizer deficiency, making the tree's vigor gradually weaken. At the same time, after the work has taken shape, the branches are dense, nutrient consumption is high, and ventilation conditions are poor, causing the branches to become thin and weak, with weak disease resistance, and easily attracting pests. These adverse factors are the causes of branch dieback in Chinese elm. This disease first appears as delayed sprouting (normal growth should be a sprouting state with buds remaining tender green), followed by yellow leaves and shedding, symptoms of water and fertilizer deficiency. The branches inside (with poor ventilation) first age and shrink, gradually developing into disease of the whole plant. 2. The way to solve branch dieback in Chinese elm (the same as for Acacia confusa) is: pay close attention to the growth state of the plant. If the above conditions are found, use a pick to probe the soil. Once it is confirmed that water and fertilizer deficiency is caused by the tight "root nest," measures must be taken immediately. Use a pick to loosen the soil deep into the "root nest" so that water and fertilizer can effectively seep into the interior of the soil. At the same time, use foliar feeding and spray more water on the leaf surface
and so on to reduce the symptoms. Wait until entering the body II period, immediately repot, cut off as much of the excess root system as possible, replace with new soil, and the disease will naturally improve. Experience has shown that Chinese elm bonsai should be repotted, root-pruned, and soil-changed once every year (during the period from Minor Cold to Major Cold) to ensure normal growth.

Planting method for raw Chinese elm stumps: * Apply glue to the cut, press firmly with plain yellow mud, do not water. Place in a dark place. Water after 10 days. Provide shade. Mine has been planted for a full month and is growing luxuriant branches and leaves.

Sap outflow must be prevented; the cut must not touch water within one week.

* Cut all branches and leaves clean, trim all at once, plant in pure sand (semi-moist), do not water for the time being, place indoors in a cool place, spray water mist on the branches and trunk several times a day, wait until buds sprout on the branches and only water if the pot lacks water, gradually move from indoors to a shaded outdoor place, then gradually move to normal sunlight (avoid midday), and after about a month or more, normal management can begin depending on the situation.

Chinese elm is distributed throughout China. It is generally transplanted during the dormant period in winter and spring, and the survival rate is highest in February and March before sprouting. Before production, first plant it in sandy soil to "nurse the stump." Before planting, prune the branches, trunk and root system. Adhesive sap often flows from the wounds. If this sap seeps out too much, it will seriously affect the survival rate. Wax, paint and so on can be applied to the cuts, or a layer of erythromycin ointment can be applied, then fine sandy soil sprinkled on, to prevent the sap from flowing out. But it must never be soaked in water, otherwise it will aggravate the loss of sap, causing the roots to rot and the plant to die. After planting, compact the soil, but do not water. You can spray clear water on the trunk 1 to 2 times a day, and after 2 to 3 days water thoroughly once. After that, place the plant in a ventilated and light-transmitting place for care. Water according to the principle of not watering unless dry, and watering thoroughly when watering. Water accumulation in the soil is strictly prohibited. The shaping of Chinese elm bonsai can be done during the growing season or during the dormant period, but the sprouting period should be avoided, so as not to lose too much sap and affect plant growth. Its form can be processed according to the basic shape of the tree stump into straight trunk style, curved trunk style, slanting trunk style, dead trunk style, waterside style, cliff style, forest style and various other forms of bonsai. The crown can use the elegant, naturally sparse natural type, or the rounded large-tree shape, and can also be processed into a regular round-pad shape. The shaping method is a combination of wiring and pruning. First use metal wire to wire out the basic form, then prune carefully.

Apply erythromycin or sealing wax to the wound cross-section, spray water on the leaf surface, and wait a few more days before watering; otherwise, if sap bleeds, it will be very difficult to survive. Add plant ash to the cut roots. This can stop the sap. After planting, water after one week. Add soil. Then seal the soil with plastic sheeting. Leave it alone. It will sprout around March 20 next spring. (Transplanting has caused injury, so immunity is somewhat poor. Just put a plastic bag over the top. Remove it when the buds have 2-3 leaves, around mid-April. Do not water before that.)